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At the beginning of August I had a decision to make. This was due to the fact that Billy Childish and Musicians of the British Empire had lined up two dates at The Dirty Water Club in Tufnell Park. I had to decide whether to attend one or both. On deciding to attend just one, I then had to choose which one, so I chose the September date, as opposed to the October date.

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Photograph courtesy of Matthew Pitchford.

Have you ever seen a one man band? Have you ever seen a one man band wearing a pair of Chelsea boots? Have you ever seen a one man band wearing a pair of Chelsea boots and an electric blue human cannon ball jump suit that is adorned with red jewels down the sides?

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Now in its fourth year, Kendal Calling has grown at an unprecedented rate. When it opened its gates for the first time in 2006, the capacity was a mere 900. This weekend they have sold all six thousand tickets for its arrival in the beautiful surroundings of its new location, the Lowther Deer Park in Penrith.
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As the Manchester International Festival came to an end, the 24:7 Theatre Festival held its official opening night in a small function on the ground floor of New Century House. Finding tonight’s venue was not the easiest of tasks, as it is tucked away in a corner of a dark back street between The Printworks and the CIS Tower.

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The usual step up from headlining your own small intimate gigs will see you generally filling the support slots for bigger names. The main change will be that you now know the audience are not there to see you and have in all honesty, probably never heard of you. Even though this is a daunting task to take on, any band serious enough about their craft will have to jump from playing to family and friends and take their music out to the critical masses.

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To celebrate the seventh instalment of the much acclaimed Kitsune Maison compilation series, this ultra cool label have taken on a month long tour to spread the word. Starting in Paris and ending in Hamburg, it shall cover the U.K, Europe and even as far afield as Japan.

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Upstairs in this tiny venue, sees the opening night of a six day UK tour. In these six days there shall be no fewer than nine shows, which will include appearances in bars, charity shops and even one on a beach.

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At the tail end of last year, 130 of the UK’s leading music critics and broadcasters came together to compile the BBC’s Sound of 2009. The final list included many acts that you will have heard day after day over the airwaves, such as La Roux, White Lies and Lady GaGa.

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I am betting there are not many occasions when the P.A. system at the Night and Day Café has had church organ music piped through it. But tonight this is the case, as Reverend Ted Chippington graces the stage with his presence. 

It is almost two decades ago that Ted first started doing stand-up under the guise of Eddie Chippington. He is highly regarded in the comedy world and has inspired many of today’s big names, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring being just two of a long list. 

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